Detroit Innovate targets young technologies, university start-ups

A new seed-stage fund called Detroit Innovate, which intends to help launch technology companies in Southeast Michigan and invest in existing young companies, is scheduled to be announced today. The fund has received $5 million from the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan and hopes to raise at least $10 million from other state foundations.

Michigan’s Pre-seed Capital Fund invests $1M in four companies

Four Michigan companies recently received investments from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, totaling $1 million. To date, the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, a collaborative effort of Michigan’s SmartZones to support start-ups’ product commercialization, has awarded 83 Michigan companies with seed funding totaling more than $19 million.

U Michigan’s student-led Frankel Fund realizes acquisition of portfolio company, Arbor Photonics

The Frankel Commercialization Fund, in collaboration with The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, today announced that Arbor Photonics, a portfolio company of the fund, has been acquired by nLIGHT Corp., an industry leader in solid-state high performance lasers. Ann Arbor-based Arbor Photonics offers a […]

U-M’s New Drug Discovery Center to Commercialize Research; provide seed grants

Last week, the University of Michigan announced a new Center for the Discovery of New Medicines (CDNM) to help speed the school’s research findings to the marketplace. The new initiative is a cross-departmental effort to leverage resources like former Pfizer researchers, unique libraries of compounds, and a culture of data sharing to streamline early-stage drug discovery in an age where big pharma is increasingly […]

Wolverine Fund, Social Ventures Fund, and more student-led initiatives at U Michigan

Talk about the current state of venture capital in North America and states like California and Massachusetts are immediately invoked. Have a conversation about building the venture capital communities of tomorrow, and you might be surprised to hear Michigan’s name surface. The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business is a pioneer is creating student-run […]

Overview of New University of Michigan MCubed Program

MCubed is a new seed-funding program developed at the University of Michigan to stimulate and support innovative research. The program grew out of the IdeaWorks project in the College of Engineering and is part of the University’s Third Century Initiative.

University of Michigan set to invest in four in-state companies

University of Michigan Board of Regents, Ann Arbor, approved investment agreements for four potential investments under the State of Michigan Conflict of Interest statute from Michigan Investment in New Technology Startups, a venture capital fund co-managed by the university’s investment office and its Office of Technology Transfer.

U Michigan partners with venture capital group to support start-ups

A new partnership between the University of Michigan’s tech transfer office and the Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA) aims to increase the commercialization of university technology by granting members of the MVCA access to UM-based research and start-ups.